Boats Float

Explore the science, history and art of boats and boat building in our new interactive exhibit! Step inside a fantasy backyard garage and experiment with water, wind and boat shapes. Remember all that talk about displacement, gravity, buoyancy and that guy, Bernoulli, and his principles? Rediscover it here as this family-friendly exhibit encourages visitors to not only consider the scientific aspect of boats, but to also appreciate their historic and artistic facets, from design to construction to actual sailing.

Climb into a boat that sits on a waterbed, put weights in different places on a model boat to study its center of gravity, or pull different shapes through a ten-foot tank of water to examine how drag affects speed. Take on the role of boat builder in our wooden boat workshop and assemble a four-foot wooden boat puzzle. And further on, the curious can walk or crawl through a full size replica of a 22-foot 19th century Delaware River Shad Skiff. What Floats Your Boat? is a must-do experience for all!